How to Use AWS S3 CP to Copy Files to Local or S3 [Example]

Understanding the aws s3 cp command can significantly enhance your workflow, enabling seamless file transfers, backups, and data migration.

By @Crystal Last Updated September 4, 2024

What Dose AWS S3 CP Do

To efficiently manage and manipulate files within S3, AWS provides the AWS S3 CP command, a powerful tool that simplifies the process of copying files to and from S3 buckets.

AWS S3 CP command is versatile and supports a wide range of operations, from simple file transfers to more complex recursive copying of directories.

Next, let's learn more about how to apply the “aws s3 cp” command, which is essential to effectively utilize its capabilities.

How to Use AWS S3 CP Command

Before diving into the aws s3 cp command, it's essential to set up your AWS environment. This involves creating an AWS account, configuring IAM roles and policies, and setting up the AWS CLI. This setup allows the AWS CLI to interact with your AWS account, enabling you to use the aws s3 cp command.

Example: Using AWS CLI S3 CP to Local or S3

📢Copying Files to S3

To copy a file from your local machine to an S3 bucket, use the following AWS CLI S3 CP:

aws s3 cp localfile.txt s3://my-bucket/

Notice that the s3:// prefix must come before the bucket name.

This command uploads localfile.txt to the specified S3 bucket. You can also specify a destination filename:

aws s3 cp localfile.txt s3://my-bucket/renamedfile.txt

📢Copying Files from S3

Copying files from an S3 bucket to your local machine is equally simple:

aws s3 cp s3://my-bucket/remotefile.txt localfile.txt

This command downloads remotefile.txt from the S3 bucket to your local machine and renames it to localfile.txt.

📢Copying an object from S3 one bucket to another

The path to the file should be entered after the name of the source S3 bucket, and the destination S3 bucket name should be substituted for the original S3 bucket name when copying a file from one S3 bucket to another.

Don't forget to include s3:// before the names of the source and destination buckets.

aws s3 cp s3://source-bucket/source-object s3://destination-bucket/destination-object

How to Use AWS S3 CP from S3 to S3

The aws s3 cp command supports copying objects from S3 to S3 buckets.

1. Identify the source and destination bucket in S3.

2. Use the aws s3 cp command with the appropriate paths.

To copy a single object:

aws s3 cp s3://source-bucket/myfile.txt s3://destination-bucket/myfile.txt

This command copies myfile.txt from source-bucket to destination-bucket.

To copy specific file types:

In order to refine your copying process, use the --include and --exclude options to filter specific files.

aws s3 cp s3://source-bucket/ s3://destination-bucket/ --recursive --include "*.jpg"

This command copies specific file types such as all .jpg files from S3 to S3.

To set public read access:

In order to control access to the copied objects, use the --acl option to set permissions.

aws s3 cp s3://source-bucket/myfile.txt s3://destination-bucket/myfile.txt --acl public-read

To copy large files efficiently:

For large files, consider using the --storage-class option to specify storage classes like STANDARD, INTELLIGENT_TIERING, or GLACIER.

Example: Setting Storage Class

aws s3 cp s3://source-bucket/largefile.zip s3://destination-bucket/largefile.zip --storage-class STANDARD_IA

What is the Difference Between AWS S3 Sync/MV and AWS S3 CP

✔ The “aws s3 cp” command is used to copy files between your local file system and S3 buckets or between different S3 buckets. This command supports both single file and directory.

✔ The “AWS S 3 mv” command is used to move files between your local file system and S3 buckets or between different S3 buckets. Unlike cp, which copies files and leaves the original, mv moves the files and deletes them from the source location after the transfer.

✔ The “AWS S3 sync” command is designed to synchronize the contents of two directories. This means it will copy new and updated files from the source to the destination and delete files in the destination that are not present in the source, making both locations identical.

Understanding the differences between the aws s3 cp, aws s3 mv, and aws s3 syn commands is critical to effective file management in Amazon S3. See the table below to help you with a concise comparison.

How to Copy Files to Amazon S3 [Easy and Secure]

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Backup Files to Amazon S3 Automatically

1. Click Target Storage > Amazon S3 > Add Target to open the add target page. Enter your Amazon S3 credentials including username, keyword, and bucket name, then click Confirm. Ensure you have the necessary permissions set up in your AWS account.

2. Click Backup Task > Create New Task to starting archiving your important data to Amazon S3. Select File Backup (for example) and choose files or folders for backup.

3. Check Archiving backup versions to Amazon S3 and click Select to choose the added Amazon S3.

4. Schedule backup task to run daily/weekly/monthly, and select backup retention policies to delete old backups automatically.

5. Click "Start Backup" to begin the backup process. It will first create a backup locally or on the NAS and then upload the backup to Amazon S3.

Conclusion

Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) supports various file operations through the AWS CLI. Among the most commonly used commands are aws s3 cp, aws s3 mv, and aws s3 sync. Each of these commands serves a specific purpose, and you could understand their differences after reading this article, which is crucial for your efficient data management.